Part 2 (1/2)
17 They who set aside the authority of custorammatical which appears to theround forever disputable, and weary the the air So various have been the notions of this sort of critics, that it would be difficult to mention an opinion not found in soe for speculation on a subject purely practical, various attempts have beenuse has rendered venerable, and long experience proved to be useful But it is ainst this system, than to invent an other less objectionable Such atteenerally ive no encourageain: While sohts, vainly supposing that the learning of ages would give place to their whimsical theories; others, with ra the books they had used in childhood So that they who are at all acquainted with the origin and character of the various compends thus introduced into our schools, cannot but desire to see them all displaced by some abler and better work, more honourable to its author and ible to students and more helpful to teachers Books professedly published for the advance its greatest i are no less injured by whiiarisrammars, profitable only to their hts attached to the heels of Her to know the history of this science But the multiplicity of treatises already in use, is a reason, not for silence, but for offering more For, as Lord Bacon observes, the nu to write, but by writing others which, like Aaron's serpent, shall s up the spurious[5]
19 I have said that soinality, and others too little It eable with both these faults at once They are original, or at least anonyiven other authority than that of the compiler's name; and they are copies, or, at best, poor imitations, where the author should have shown hiood style of his own What then is the rainality, which are to be corammarian must be a writer, an author, a man who observes and thinks for hier, iarist Grammar is not the only subject upon which we allow no man to innovate in doctrine; why, then, should it be the only one upon which a man may make it a merit, to work up silently into a book of his own, the bestthe instructions of his predecessors and rivals? Some definitions and rules, which in the lapse of time and by frequency of use have becorammarian may perhaps be allowed to use at his pleasure; yet even upon these a enius will be apt to set some iht, in general, to be expressed in his own language, and illustrated by that of others With respect to quotation, he has all the liberty of other writers, and no rammarian makes ”use of his predecessors' labours,” why should any one think with Murray, ”it is scarcely necessary to apologize for” this, ”or for _o_ to _insert_ their names?”--_Introd to L Murray's Gram_, 8vo, p 7
20 The author of this volume would here take the liberty briefly to refer to his own procedure His knowledge of what is _technical_ in gras of other grammarians; and to their concurrent opinions and practices, he has always had great respect; yet, in truth, not a line has he ever copied fron to save the labour of corammar from others already extant, but to compose one more directly from the sources of the art, was the task which he at first proposed to hile sentence, not regularly quoted, the authorshi+p of which he supposes may now be ascribed to an other more properly than to hiement was requisite, names have been inserted In the doctrinal parts of the volume, not only quotations from others, but uilleuish the which is really taken from any other knoriter, a name or reference is added For those citations, however, which there was occasion to repeat in different parts of the work, a single reference has soht sufficient This remark refers chiefly to the corrections in the Key, the references being given in the Exercises
21 Though the theme is not one on which a man may hope to write ith little reflection, it is true that the parts of this treatise which have cost the author the most labour, are those which ”consist chiefly of s of others” These, however, are not the didactical portions of the book, but the proofs and exaraht to be taken frorammars been allowed to presume upon the respect and acquiescence of their readers, that the ancient exactness on this point would often appear pedantic Many phrases and sentences, either original with the writer, or co the illustrations of the folloork; for it was not supposed that any reader would dereat name Anonymous examples are sufficient to elucidate principles, if not to establish them; and elucidation is often the sole purpose for which an exah, that no writer on graht to propose hie, being the couarded against the caprices of individuals; and especially against that presuht attempt to impose erroneous or arbitrary definitions and rules ”Since the ist of Salamanca, ”is to be verified, first by reason, and then by testiht to wonder if we soreat h with me, unless he shall have confirmed his assertions by reason, and also by exarauardians_, not the _authors_, of language'”--_Sanctii Minerva_, Lib ii, Cap 2 Yet, as what is intuitively seen to be true or false, is already sufficiently proved or detected,more than to be clearly stated and illustrated; nay, it would see of the reader, to accumulate proofs of what cannot but be evident to all who speak the language
23 A men of the same profession, there is an unavoidable rivalry, so far as they become competitors for the sa dishonourable, while excellence alone obtains distinction, and no advantage is sought by unfair rammarian, who has the n But no worthy design can need a false apology; and it is worse than idle to prevaricate That is but a spurious modesty, which prompts a man to disclaim in one hat he assumes in an other--or to underrate the duties of his office, that he”done all that could reasonably be expected” Whoever professes to have iraenerality of English gra, that ”little can be expected” frofully contradicted, when he is held to have done much Neither the ordinary power of speech, nor even the ability to write respectably on co critics, or enables hie of literary merit And if, by virtue of these qualifications alone, a rammarian or a connoisseur, he can hold the rank only by courtesy--a courtesy which is content to degrade the character, that his inferior pretensions may be accepted and honoured under the name
24 By the force of a late popular exarammatical authorshi+p has been reduced, in the view of -up of materials anonymously borrowed; and, what is most remarkable, even for an indifferent performance of this low office, not only unnamed reviewers, but several writers of note, have not scrupled to bestow the highest praise of grarammar, has been borne away by a _professed compiler_; who had so mean an opinion of what his theme required, as to deny it even the common courtesies of co of such authority,up, to in; while all ere co any thing like a coe? What ence, where such notions prevail as give mastershi+p no hope of preference, and where the praise of his ingenuity and the reward of his labour must needs be inconsiderable, till so his ”most useful matter” before the world under better auspices? If the love of learning supply such a enerously yielded to the impulse, will not now, like Johnson, feel hie”--or, like Perizonius, apologize for the apparent folly of devoting his tiralish Grammar,” the doctrinal parts of which are embraced in the present more copious work, was published in the year 1823; since which time, (within the space of twelve years,) about forty new co to be abstracts of _Murray_, with irammars The author has examined as many as thirty of the various in character, they will of course be variously estie, they are, without exception, works of little or no realpreserved from oblivion For which reason, he would have been inclined entirely to disregard the petty depredations which the writers of several of them have committed upon his earlier text, were it not possible, that by such a frittering-away of his work, he hiht one day seem to some to have copied that fro to , that in the production of the books which bear his nae than any single hand had before achieved within the scope of practical philology, and that with perfect fairness towards other writers; he cannot but feel a wish that the integrity of his text should be preserved, whatever else e it so needful to remodel Murray's defective compilation, would forbear to publish under his naes
26 The mere rivalry of their authorshi+p is no subject of concern; but it is enough for any ingenuous man to have toiled for years in solitude to co a warfare for life to defend and preserve it Accidental coincidences in books are unfrequent, and not often such as to excite the suspicion of the iarism are neither obscure nor disputable, it is not easy, in this beaten track of literature, for persons of little reading to knohat is, or is not, original Dates s must be minutely compared And ill undertake such a task but he that is personally interested? Of the thousands who are forced into the paths of learning, few ever care to know, by what pioneer, or hat labour, their as cast up for the, not reat number of books on this subject The common notions of mankind conform more easily to fashi+on than to truth; and even of sos within their reach, the majority seem contend to take their opinions upon trust Hence, it is vain to expect that that which is intrinsically best, will be everywhere preferred; or that which is meritoriously elaborate, adequately appreciated But coed or respected by those who, for theof books, prefer a pair of scissors to the pen
27 The fortune of a grammar is not always an accurate test of its merits
The Goddess of the plenteous horn stands blindfold yet upon the floating prow; and, under her capricious favour, any pirate-craft, ill stoith plunder, olden mines of science Far more are now afloat, and more are stranded on dry shelves, than can be here reported But what this work contains, is candidly designed to qualify the reader to be hie of what it _should_ contain; and I will hope, so aht sufficient, will alsomind that comprehends my subject, is worth intrinsically more than that of half the nation: I entle reader is not one
”They praise and they admire they know not what, And know not whom, but as one leads the other”--_Milton_
CHAPTER III
OF GRAMMATICAL SUCCESS AND FAME
”Non is ego sum, cui aut jucundum, aut adeo opus sit, de aliis detrahere, et hac via ad famara contendere Melioribus artibus laudem parare didici
Itaque non libenter dico, quod praesens institutuit”--Jo
AUGUSTI ERNESTI _Praef ad Graecurammar is little known; andit: because the story of the systeenerally received has never been fully told; and that of aIn the distribution of grammatical fame, which has chiefly been e illustration of the saying: ”Unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not, shall be taken away even that which he hath” Soreatly overrated, if learning and talent are to be taken into the account; since it is manifest, that with no extraordinary claira and talents of others into the shade, or made them tributary to their own success and popularity
2 It is an ungrateful task to correct public opinion by showing the injustice of praise Fah it may have been both unexpected and undeserved, is apt to be claiood nah ever-so candid, is liable to be thought an envious detractor It would seeeneral most prudent to leave mankind to find out for themselves how far any commendation bestowed on individuals is inconsistent with truth But, be it remembered, that celebrity is not a virtue; nor, on the other hand, is experience the cheapest of teachers A good s ably and well; and it is certainly no small mistake to estihts Criticism may destroy the reputation of a book, and not be inconsistent with a cordial respect for the private worth of its author The reader will not be likely to be displeased hat is to be stated in this chapter, if he can believe, that noto him that which he himself, for the protection of his own honour, has been constrained to disclaied, if he will adh in his _own keeping_ Are authors apt to undervalue their own performances? Or because proprietors and publishers ht illiberal to criticise it? Is the author hiant praises bestowed upon him may be justified? ”Superlative commendation,” says Dillwyn, ”is near akin to _detraction_” (See his _Reflections_, p 22) Let hie detraction upon me, first understand wherein it consists I shall criticise, freely, both the works of the living, and the doctrines of those who, to us, live only in their works; and if anywherein it is wrong or unfair The aain: ”Praise has so often proved an _impostor_, that it would be well, wherever we o not so far as this; but that eulogy which one knows to be false, he cannot but reckon irammar have been more noted than WILLIAM LILY and LINDLEY MURRAY Others have left betterand talents, but none perhaps have had greater success and fa tiland, has commonly been ascribed to the one; and what the Irammar, beyond all comparison, that has yet appeared,”
was cohtly judged to excel the generality of those which they were intended to supersede; and both, in their day,For all excellence is but corant them this superiority, is neither to prefer them now, nor to justify the praise which has been bestowed upon their authorshi+p As the science of graht by any book which is not itself grammatical, it is of some importance both to teachers and to students, to rammars hold rank by prescription Yet it is possible thatto write and speak, may have derived no inconsiderable benefit from a book that is neither accurate nor cora which period, the English language received its most classical refinement, and the relative estiralishman, born at Odiham,[6] in Hampshi+re, in 1466 When he had arrived at e to Jerusalem; and while abroad studied soht one of the land In 1510, Dr John Colet, dean of St Paul's church, in London, appointed hih master of St
Paul's School, then recently founded by this gentleman's ht with great credit to hie of 56 For the use of this school, he wrote and published certain parts of the grammar which has since borne his name Of the authorshi+p of this work many curious particulars are stated in the preface by John Ward, which may be seen in the edition of 1793 Lily had able rivals, as well as learned coadjutors and friends By the aid of the latter, he took precedence of the forained a general popularity So that when an arbitrary king saw fit to silence co himself, as Sir Thomas Elliott says, ”the chiefe authour and setter-forth of an introduction into grae subjects,” Lily's Grammar was preferred for the basis of the standard Hence, after the publishi+ng of it becae patented by the crown, the book appears to have been honoured with a royal title, and to have been fa Henry's Grammar
5 Prefixed to this book, there appears a very ancient epistle to the reader, which while it shows the reasons for this royal interference with grauarded and maintained as it was, even royal interference was here ineffectual to its purpose It neither produced unifor, nor, even for instruction in a dead language, entirely prevented the olddiverse in its different editions The style also may serve to illustrate what I have elsewhere said about the duties of a ra's Majesties wisdo the reraently drawn, and so to be set out, only every where to be taught, for the use of learners, and for the hurt in changing of schoolemaisters” That is, to prevent the injury which school, of gra is divers yet, and alwaies will be; for that every schoolemaister liketh that he knoweth, and seeth not the use of that he knoweth not; and therefore judgeth that the most sufficient waie, which he seeth to be the readiesta learner to have a thorough knowledge therein”
The only remedy for such an evil then is, to teach those who are to be teachers, and to desert all who, for any whim of their own, desert sound doctrine
6 But, to return A laasLily's Grammar only, (or that which has commonly been quoted as Lily's,) to be everywhere adopted and taught, as the co kept in force by means of a special inquiry, directed to be made by the bishops at their stated visitations, this law, for three hundred years, imposed the book on all the established schools of the realone under the name of Lily, (”because,” says one of the patentees, ”he had _so considerable a hand_ in the composition,”) ritten by Dr
Colet, by Erasmus, or by others who improved the work after Lily's death